


"For you."

by murasakis



Category: Hybrid Child (Anime & Manga), Sekai-ichi Hatsukoi
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, M/M, nostalgia centric if you didn't notice already, will have some canon details but yeah, will not update frequently cause i'm a lazy ass bitch
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-03
Updated: 2019-02-03
Packaged: 2019-10-21 09:24:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,412
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17640122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/murasakis/pseuds/murasakis
Summary: I thought I had lost you.But there you were, standing before me.If this was the gods torturing me,I would beg to them for this dream to never end.(soulmate au where a spirit is bound to a person)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> ty for clicking on my story  
> hope u like

I remember when I would sit around with my friends back in highschool, telling them stories of my childhood. We’d all reflect on how stupid we were, how we always got into trouble, or how we would borrow items with the intention of keeping them. We’d have our embarrassing stories, like trying to scale a wardrobe because you thought you were some sort of spy, or face-planting right into the cement after trying to ride a scooter.

Then you would have stories about having that one imaginary friend; the nostalgic companionship that would practically stick with you for most of your childhood. The one who always had your back, but then would always disappear upon the presence of an adult. I once expressed to my friends how it was always funny that my imaginary friend would float around whilst asleep, and I wondered why they had given me questionable gazes, before brushing it off and continue on with their own tales to spare.

Though now, I realise that you weren’t supposed to have such a vivid recollection of them. Nor were they supposed to exist when you were still an adult. I was in college when my ‘friend’ had returned to me. It was only then that I began to realise he wasn’t so much imaginary, but rather, a ghost of the past.

_ ‘I used to be alive. I’m dead now, of course, but us spirits…we don’t pass on like others. Since we’re so caught up with the past, we wind up connected to a living human, which is why I’m now ‘existing’ alongside you. I manifested right after you were born, and grew and matured like you. There are obvious differences in the things that we know as we age…but I guess you could say we’re pretty much like humans.’ _

_ ‘Ah…it must be nice to be a spirit…to live so freely…’ _

_ ‘Hm. We are free, aside from being connected to a mortal. But, it does have its downfalls. For one, I can’t see other spirits; neither can I communicate with them. In my perspective, the only person who can see me and talk to me is you. I haven’t seen another spirit since you were born. There is a way to see them, however, which is by you finding your soulmate.’ _

_ ‘My soulmate…?’ _

_ ‘Yes, since your soulmate would also have a spirit living alongside them. By the way, not all mortals have a spirit beside them, I guess the universe chooses where each of the spirits go. Though, I’m still learning how to live as a spirit as we age. As far as I know, you must share the exact same feelings as your soulmate would, otherwise I can’t see your soulmate’s spirit. But there are probably other ways to successfully communicate with other spirits, but we haven’t done anything to trigger that.’ _

_ ‘I’ll be frank, it is a little confusing trying to keep up with you, but I think I got the gist of it. But, how do you know all of this?’ _

_ ‘If I have to be honest, I have no clue. One moment, I was dead, and the next minute, I found you. I’m still figuring things out on my end, but I thought that it would be best to explain this to you the moment you were an adult. I can’t be telling all of these spirit things to you when you were a toddler now, no?’ _

_ ‘I suppose so. And, another question if you don’t mind me asking…the reason why you’re with me…what sorts of regrets did you have…?’ _

_ ‘…considering the possibility of ever finding your soulmate, and the way you are right now, I don’t think I would gain anything out of expressing what I have withheld for countless years. I’d prefer if you enjoyed your life as a human, rather than be burdened with the past like I am. A young man like you shouldn’t deserve that.’ _

And so I continued my life as normal, like he requested. I graduated from college, and eventually gained a job at my father’s publishing company as an editor. Though, I transferred soon after to a different publishing company. Into a manga department more specifically, an editing field that I honestly wasn’t particularly adept in.

“What are you, a temporary?”

Though, by this strange sense of nostalgia rushing through me, I knew then that my life wouldn’t be as normal as Tsukishima would’ve hoped it to be.

“No, I’m the new editor starting from today.”


	2. Chapter 2

Soon after, I found myself accustomed to the schedule Emerald has after the first few weeks of working in the manga department. I’m currently three months in as a manga editor, and I’m happy to say that work has been going smoothly, aside from Hell Week happening every time near the end of the cycle. On top of that, my co-workers were pretty kind, save for my boss, Takano-san.

Haa…my boss. Who was apparently also the upperclassman I was— _was_ —in love with back in highschool, and also my next-door neighbour. Great.

It doesn’t help that Tsukishima also has taken a liking to him, as weird as it sounds. The first time I went into Takano-san’s apartment, Tsukishima was with me, yet was silent throughout our exchange. Naturally, he’d always add in his own comments in every conversation I was in. But this time, he definitely wasn’t acting normal. His expression was blank, but his eyes held such intense emotion when he first laid his eyes on Takano-san, yet I couldn’t tell what he was feeling. I tried to ask him about it a few days after, but he ended up dodging the question.

But one thing was for sure. Every time I was close to Takano-san, whether it’d be at work or at home, Tsukishima would always be fixated on staring at him at every chance that he got. I asked once upon whether looking at Takano-san was somehow related to the whole soulmate thing he explained to me years before, but he dismissed it; saying that it was because he looked exactly like someone he knew while he was alive, save for his amber eyes.

_‘He really does look like an exact replica of my friend, that Takano. Even the personalities almost match up. If you were in my place, you’d think that’s rather crazy, don’t you think? Especially since it’s been so many centuries…’_

He did have a point, though I felt that he was searching for something within Takano-san, though I couldn’t ask about it even if I wanted to. And to be honest, if there was the off chance that Takano-san was, in actual fact, my soulmate, I don’t think I would choose to fall in love with him. The things that happened between us…I’d rather that it remained a memory of the past.

Though, at times, I’d amuse myself, thinking of Takano-san ever having a spirit living alongside him. I’d imagine that they’d fight over everything, yelling at each other and trying to start a physical fight. Though it wouldn’t last for long, since he would only be punching air.

I let out a soft chuckle as I read through the manuscript I held in my hand, a red pen in the other as I rested on my couch.

“Oh? What’s so amusing?” Tsukishima questioned as he lifted his head up to look at me from where he sat on the ground, hair falling in his face slightly as he tilted his head to the side.

“No, no, my author just drew a gag scene that I particularly enjoyed.” I smiled at him.

* * *

 

“Go. To. Him.”

“How about you fuck right off?” Takano gritted his teeth as he glared at the entity sitting on the other side of the room. Taking one last drag of his cigarette, Takano stubbed it into the ashtray and continued on with his work, much to the displeasure of the other.

“Just ask if he has time to work with you.”

“ _Enough_.”

“Come on, we know you want to see him.”

“At this point, seeing bird shit is better than looking at you.”

“Oi, I didn’t ask to be stuck here with you!” The spirit retorted, summoning his own pipe and taking a drag from it.

“Seriously, if you can create things like that out of thin air, just go busy yourself with something else that isn’t me.” Takano clicked his tongue as he threw his manuscript on the coffee table in front of him.

“Which is why I’m telling you to go to Onodera?”

“And what? Just so you can stare at him because he looks like Tsukishima? That guy,” He pointed at the wall behind him, which connected to Onodera’s apartment. “Is _Onodera_ . He is a real person that is alive and breathing, unlike your _dead_ lover.”

“For once in my existence, I wish that as a spirit, I’d have the ability to punch the living shit out of you. Literally.” Kuroda seethed, seating himself down on the floor as he blew out the smoke, blue eyes gazing elsewhere in the apartment. Takano just rolled his eyes stood to grab himself a coffee so that he could last for the rest of the night.

For as long as Takano could remember, Kuroda was definitely a recurring presence in his life. Even though he wasn’t around as frequently as Takano would’ve expected, they were still close, as much as he would’ve liked to think otherwise. In his perspective, Kuroda was definitely the happier one of the two, even if it didn’t appear like that sometimes. He didn’t particularly hate the spirit, and Kuroda trusted him enough to explain how he ended up in his current situation. Though, upon meeting Takano’s new subordinate, in short, Kuroda was completely thrown for a loop the moment he saw Onodera.

He knew, upon Kuroda’s description of Tsukishima, that Onodera probably appeared too similar to him. Kuroda was naturally composed in many situations, and even teasing on some occasions, so for him to become so incredibly impatient and flustered as of recent after meeting Onodera, his change in personality grated on Takano’s nerves without end.

“Really, can’t you just pass through the wall to stare at him or something…?” Takano mumbled out, though realised soon after that he didn’t appreciate the idea of Kuroda looking at his ex-boyfriend like that.

“I’m not like other spirits, you know that. To my knowledge, I’m tethered to you, so I can’t move about as freely as I would like to. But…” Takano fought the tempting urge to rip apart whatever he had in his hands out of irritation. Namely, his manuscript. “Maybe I can do that after you meet your soulmate. Who, might I add, is right next-door—“

“So you’re saying that once my soulmate expresses the exact same feelings as I do for them, you’re a free spirit.” Takano cut him off, deciding to ignore the last sentence.

“Well, at least that’s what I assume. I guess we’re forever bound to our mortal until they learn to love, or something like that.” Kuroda shrugged.

“So what if a mortal decided not to love anymore?”

“Well, sucks to be that spirit.” Kuroda responded casually, lying down. Though, Takano could see how he was deep in his thoughts as well, judging by the look in his eyes, and reflected quietly on those words himself.

“I just find it weird that none of these things are mentioned at all on the internet. Usually people would eat those kinds of things up and research on them.” Takano started up again, staring into nothing as he pondered about the information he’s seen online. Most of the time it was just outright bait for potential viruses, but there were some pieces of information that were close to being called legitimate by his standards.

“It might just be a recent thing, you never know. You could probably be the only person stuck with a spirit like me.” Takano lifted his eyes to look at the other, who also had his eyes trained back on him.

“But that wouldn’t do you any good.” Takano stated. Kuroda stared at the other for a while before he let out a soft chuckle as looked up to the ceiling, absentmindedly brushing his fingers across the bandages around his neck.

“Concerned for me now, are you?” He questioned softly, though the other didn’t respond and he opted to close his eyes. They lapsed into silence for a few moments, before Takano broke it once again.

“Hey, say…I found my soulmate. You said that if we are soulmates, then we should be able to see each other’s spirits the moment our feelings become mutual.”

“What if...the spirit you were looking for wasn’t attached to my soulmate? For example,” Takano pressed, hands clasped together as he leaned forward, watching as Kuroda lifted an eyelid to look at him. “I have a spirit—you, obviously—but my soulmate in question just…has a spirit you don’t even know, like they were purely attached to the other out of chance. What happens then?” Takano observed silently as Kuroda didn’t bother to hide his displeasure as he looked away from the mortal.

“Maybe then my existence as well ought to disappear from this place. But, well,” Kuroda sighed and scratched the back of his head as he ruminated the possibilities. “Obviously, if I can pass on, I’ll be able to find him. Tsukishima, I mean.” Kuroda

“Do you know what lies beyond this state?”

“No, but I pray that the gods won’t punish me anymore.”

* * *

 “Oh, Onodera.”

“A-Ah, Takano-san. Good evening,” Onodera murmured out softly, his eyes trained away from Takano’s. The pair had run into each other one night after working late. They went home their separate ways, with Takano leaving first, and Onodera was glad he didn’t have to see him anymore.

But it seemed fate had other plans for them. Onodera was ready to enter his apartment, when his next-door neighbour coincidentally appeared, seeming ready to leave to head off somewhere.

“Getting your work done?” Takano asked, watching the brunet avoid his gaze as he closed his own door.

“Of course, I’m not some sort of slacker, Takano-san.”

The exchange was heavily formal, the pair knew very well. They did have casual spats every now and then, though something held them from going past the boundary of professionalism – namely, their spirits. As much as Takano was raring to ask Onodera many questions – he was ready to demand answers out of the other if he had to be honest – he knew Kuroda was watching him with sharp eyes, and decided to hold his tongue.

Kuroda meanwhile, frowned as he gazed at this Onodera. He seemed withdrawn and quiet, almost shy even. But he could tell that there was a fire inside him, which screamed familiarity. His hair and eyes were hazel brown and emerald green respectively, though a darker shade than what he expected. Though it didn’t stop Kuroda from heaving a sigh of longing, which definitely raised Takano’s attention, and said male fleetingly aimed his eyes at him before darting them back to the brunet.

“ _Oiiiiiii_ , just kiss him already.” Kuroda drawled, arms behind his head.

“You’re annoying.” Takano seethed before sighing.

“Huh? Excuse me Takano-san?” Takano tensed suddenly, realising he had said it aloud. _‘Fuck me.’_ He noticed how Onodera gave him a disapproving stare as his hands fell to his side.

“No, don’t worry. Forget about it.” The raven tried to mediate, though the brunet didn’t seem to be having any of it.

“I’m sorry, am I wasting your time, _Editor-in-Chief_?” The brunet’s eyes narrowed, his lips drawn to a thin line. Onodera’s irritation was bubbling in his chest, much to the brunet spirit’s worry.

“Ritsu, I don’t think he was…” Tsukishima started, though he cut himself off, not wanting to interfere with Onodera’s life. Though, he was confident that Takano didn’t tell the brunet to be quiet. By the way the taller’s eyes flickered over to the side for a bit, he knew they weren’t the only ones, and his heart squeezed painfully at the sudden rush of hope within himself.

_‘Tsukishima, don’t. Be reasonable. You shouldn’t burden Ritsu like this.’_

“No, Onodera, you have yourself mistaken—“

“There’s no one else here, isn’t it? Who else would you be saying this to?”

“That’s…” Takano sighed once again, not wanting to delve any further into this business. “Nevermind, I’ll be heading off now.”

“So you’re not apologising?” Onodera raised an eyebrow.

“So you’re not kissing him?” Kuroda tilted his head in question.

“No.” Takano said in response to Kuroda, though he realised once again that Onodera was still in the vicinity. “God…I mean—“

“Have a nice evening, Takano-san.”

“Onodera—“ Though his door slammed shut and Takano just let out another long sigh as he quickly walked into the elevator. He waited until the doors shut, before he proceeded to give a piece of his mind.

“Stop trying to throw me off! What is your problem?!”

“Hey, you seemed like you needed a little nudging in the right direction!” Kuroda defended, eyebrows furrowing before he crossed his arms and looked off to the side.

“I don’t need your help.” Takano gritted out, hand over his eyes as he leant back against the elevator. Talking to Onodera would indeed become increasingly difficult when Kuroda was around. The guy just didn’t seem to back off. While he couldn’t care less when Kuroda took it upon himself to join in the conversation – despite the fact that no one could hear him aside from himself – Takano was ready to strangle Kuroda for practically destroying all efforts to make a connection with the brunet.

Initially, upon their first meeting and confrontation, Takano wanted nothing to do with Onodera. What happened previously between them should’ve stayed in the past, but the raven was unable to help himself when he fell hard for the brunet once again, despite all odds. The truth was, he had missed him, terribly. He wanted to explain himself, ask Onodera what he’s been doing, talk about his hopes that he had for them, he was ready to lay himself bare in front of him.

But he wondered. Would he feel the same way if Kuroda wasn’t around? Maybe all of Kuroda’s interference had gotten to his head. But he knew, spirit or no spirit, he wanted answers.

If only he could get them without Kuroda’s knowledge.

Takano’s phone buzzed, and he sighed as he checked the screen. He could focus on the spirit business later. Right now, he had an impromptu work meeting to attend.

_‘I deserve a pay rise after all these shitty meetings Isaka randomly makes.’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> woot second chapter done  
> expect plenty of timeskips btw, I can’t bring myself to write a lengthy plot lmao im sorry  
> see you next chapter


	3. Chapter 3

“Onodera, copy these for me will you?”

“The copier is right behind you, Takano-san.” Onodera gritted out, taking the papers off Takano’s hand anyway before walking past him to approach the copier. The editor-in-chief snorted in amusement, knowing that the little prince wouldn’t be so rude in front of him if everyone else was around. It had been just the two of them for a while, since Kisa had left a couple of minutes ago after finishing his work for the day. Now that it was reaching midnight, Takano supposed that it was good to head home as well, since it was early in the cycle.

“Onodera,” The raven called, swivelling around in his seat to face the brunet, who also turned to Takano. “Once you’re done, place those on my desk. Then we’ll head home together. I brought my car, after all.” The brunet raised an eyebrow at the offer and turned back to finish the last of the copying.

“Thanks for the concern, but don’t tell me you’re picking favourites with your subordinates now, are you?”

“You just so happened to be the last one here. You should be glad that I offered, since your attitude had me reconsidering if I’m better off just leaving your ass behind to drive back home alone in this cold, icy weather in my warm car.” Takano’s lips quirked up at the sight of Onodera’s tensed shoulders, entertained by Onodera’s expression when the brunet turned back around to glare at his superior.

“Excuse me?”

“You’re such a bully, Masamune.” Kuroda sighed. He rested against the wall as he watched Takano interact with the brunet, though couldn’t help letting his eyes pan over to Onodera.

_‘Damn, he really looks crazy similar to that guy…even the way he grows agitated…it’s all too good to be true.’_

“Ritsu, stop getting caught up in Takano’s pace.” Tsukishima chided softly, eyeing how the brunet’s hand enclosed tightly around the stack of papers he was holding. Though, he personally felt slightly irritated by the arrogance the raven displayed. But his heart twinged slightly, suddenly recalling a memory of the past.

 _‘He always told me off for the smallest of things.’_ Tsukishima sighed behind Ritsu, opting to turn away from the argument that was beginning to unfold. The first time he saw the pair argue made him far too reminiscent of his memories. It wasn’t long after that he realised that their dynamic, personalities, everything they did always managed to remind Tsukishima of _him._  

“Well, it’s your loss anyway.” Takano said, ignoring Kuroda’s comment as he stood and prepared to pack his things away. Onodera watched irritably as he gruffly copied everything that Takano wanted him to, before shoving the papers onto his desk.

“I’d rather go home my own way than to spend time with an overbearing boss like you.” Onodera grumbled, hastily packing his bag, seeing how Takano slowed his actions upon hearing his statement.

“Damn, how did you grow to be such a jackass over the past ten years?”

 _‘Ten years?’_ Tsukishima looked up, turning to face Takano.

“Oi, calm down. Don’t bring up the past like this.” Kuroda warned, a frown forming on his face. He knew when Takano was acting stubborn, since he knew the raven would be arrogant to admit his faults. This was one of those times, and he was aware of the other’s nature to bring up matters that would always put the blame on them.

“Let me remind you. It was because of _you_ that I’m like this. You like to think that everything wasn’t your fault, but I’ll be more than happy to remind you why I don’t want to end up in a relationship with you ever again.” Onodera glared into the contents of his bag, not bothering to look at the older before he lifted it and put the strap on his shoulder. “Good work today. I’ll be leaving first.” 

“So you’re just going to run away?” Onodera stopped by the door of the editing department, before whipping his head around to look at the raven in the eye, swallowing the lump in his throat as he protested, 

“It’s called making sure that I don’t fall for the same person who was nothing but a total bastard.”

“For fuck’s sake, I told you I was just a kid back then!”

“And so was I! And you didn’t have to go and play my younger self like that!” 

“Who said I was playing you?! I loved you back then, and I still love you now!” 

“Stop lying, you never did!”

“And what does it matter? The past was the past, and I love the you of right now, so why are you so insistent on not giving me a second chance?”

“Because--!” Onodera stopped then, realising he couldn’t talk anymore, lest he want to give away the feelings that began to rise within him.

“Ritsu…” Tsukishima approached Ritsu quietly, laying his cold hand on Ritsu’s arm. “Let’s just go home.”

“…because…”

Kuroda watched silently, realising how far deep the conflict had run between them. He let his eyes drift over to Takano, watching how his eyebrows were knitted with frustration and confusion. He knew how much Takano loved Onodera, but he never knew why Takano had lost the brunet in the first place. But now, by looking at Onodera’s face, he wasn’t so sure if the younger was Takano’s soulmate at all.

_‘From what I know, soulmates aren’t supposed to have so much trouble getting together…so why…?’_

“Because…” _‘I don’t think I can trust myself to fall in love again.’_

“Ritsu, that’s enough.” Tsukishima soothed, squeezing his arm a little now. “Let’s just go home.”

“...g-good night, Takano-san.” Onodera whispered, bowing quietly to the editor-in-chief, before slipping past the door and running as fast as he could from the office, not wanting to face anyone at this point.

“Masamune…you might want to tell me what happened back in the past.” Kuroda started a few moments after the brunet had left, eyeing Takano’s back. “Because, this scenario…I don’t know if there’s any possibility that-”

“Of what? Onodera being my soulmate?” Takano cut in, gathering his things up into his bag. “Funny, you were all over the idea just a couple hours ago.”

“Yeah, but I find it hard to believe now since you two were already together in the past. If you two were soulmates, I should’ve seen their spirit long ago, and so should you.” Kuroda frowned.

“…”

“Masamune?”

“…it can’t be anyone else but him.” Takano turned to Kuroda, gazing at the other earnestly. “I’m sorry.”

Kuroda watched the other silently, knowing that he was apologising for holding onto Onodera. If Kuroda was right and Onodera wasn’t his soulmate, then the spirit would only be the one who suffered under Takano’s decision. And whilst Kuroda understood it wasn’t ideal for the mortal to stay with someone who wasn’t fated to be with him, who was he to pull Takano away? He had known the other since birth, and although he wasn’t with the other all the time, he still watched him from afar, out of the raven’s vision. He knew how much suffering the other had gone through, and if Takano decided that this was his chance to make things right...then he wouldn’t interfere with it.

“Haa…” Kuroda heaved out a sigh, and briefly broke eye contact with Takano. Scratching the back of his head, he clicked his tongue as he looked at the other through his fringe. “You owe me one.”

After seeing Takano’s genuine smile after many years, Kuroda wouldn’t say this out loud, but he was glad that he had made that decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aiya i keep having this tendency to end chapters on a takano interaction  
> let’s see if that can change next chapter lmao (aka a chapter that won’t come until after ritsu confesses)


End file.
